Trey Blount is used to having success, both in the classroom and on the field.

While attending Lovinggood Middle School in Powder Springs, Blount was twice invited to participate in the Eastbay All-American Bowl, which pits the nation’s top youth football players against one another in an all-star game format.

Now entering his first season of high school football at Hillgrove, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver is still earning accolades, having recently been named to MaxPreps’ top-50 watch list for the class of 2017.

“It’s truly an honor to be considered one of the top incoming high school freshman football players in the nation,” said Blount, competing for a starting role at Hillgrove. “Practicing at Hillgrove is a big change from middle school. The guys are definitely bigger and stronger and faster. But the other wide receivers on the team have been helping me out at this level, and I’m getting more and more comfortable every day.”

Blount has had plenty of time to get acclimated to the speed of high school practices. While he was finishing out his eighth-grade year at Lovinggood this past spring, Blount was one of three incoming freshmen invited to participate in Hillgrove’s spring practice, where his involvement was very thorough.

“I had a chance to run with the first team in the spring,” he said. “I really got to learn a lot of the plays and show what I could do.”

Blount has continued to run plays with the first-team offense this summer as the Hawks prepare for the upcoming season.

“We’ve had some two-a-day practices since Monday,” he said. “The whole time, I’ve been floating in with the first team and all the other wide receivers.”

“(Trey) is a strong and well-developed kid with some solid skills, and that obviously gives him a chance,” Hillgrove coach Phil Ironside said. “He’s getting some reps and building his knowledge to become a better player. He’s going against some older guys that have a lot more experience at this level, but he’s getting a chance to run with them. We’re glad to have him out here, and we’re glad to see him learning and adjusting after each practice.”

Blount has been waiting a while for this opportunity to join the high school team, and he hopes he’ll be playing on Friday nights soon.

“I’m very excited to come up from the eighth-grade team and play with the big boys,” Blount said. “I get to show my talents and prove why I should be up here. Practices have been fun.

“Middle school was fun, too. We had a lot of long practices, and it was a great experience, but it’s time to hang that up. This is a new beginning for me.”

Blount has already set goals for himself in 2013 that he hopes to reach.

“This year, I just want to concentrate on catching the ball,” he said. “I want to have at least 25 catches for 400 yards and at least four touchdowns. I want to learn my position and learn what it takes to be great at this level.”

As if Hillgrove High School is short of talent to highlight. An incoming freshman? Seriously? How about the upper class men athletes who has represented the team well for 4 years or the athletes whose hardwork allowed then to procure several scholarships, or the athletes who simultaneously show athletic and scholastic excellence? Yet, you journalist fall naively into the football recruiting trap of Chronyism so typical and quick to slight hard working athletes by highlighting the ranked. Curious where you got this tip?

There have always been great players at Hillgrove whom were sidelined because Ironside dictates who gets to play and the attention whether good or not. They had one player who got to play all four years and he was less than average but his dad is a coach for a college. He screwed over so many good athletes. ! Many kids have quit playing ball at Hillgrove due to there politics. Ironside has no QB's because all the good ones quit because he insists on playing his average son. They cuss at kids and treat them like crap. The whole program needs new coaches! They won't make it this year!

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